Blog

Archive for August, 2013

The new school year is nearly here for children up and down the country. More importantly, it also means parents are running the usual gauntlet of Back to School shopping!

Purchasing all of the items your children will need at school can quickly become very expensive so why not consider some labels from Label Planet, that can be used to label items such as books and stationery, to help prevent losses (and the need to buy replacements).

We supply blank labels on A4 sheets that can be printed using your own laser or inkjet printer at home – meaning you (or your children!) can create your own bespoke labels, with any text or images that you like.

And, of course, if you’re looking for name labels that can be used to label clothing, shoes and bags, lunch boxes and water bottles, P.E. kits and equipment, and books and stationery, why not try our Stikins name labels – available from stikins.co.uk.

If you need to guarantee delivery, to make sure your order arrives in time, we offer the option to add a Next Day Delivery Service to your order in the checkout (Label Planet orders) or you can call to request this service on 01270 668076 (Label Planet & Stikins Name Label orders).

In the next few months, we’re hoping to introduce some brand new sizes across our ranges, and to expand the number of sizes that we keep in stock. We’re looking to pick some of popular sizes that are not currently available or that are only available at a minimum order of 500 sheets to help make things even easier for our customers. Hopefully, we’ll be able to fill in some of the gaps that currently exist between the sizes we currently have on offer to make sure our customers get the closest match for their requirements.

We would like to introduce you to our newest product range: TRANSPARENT STATIC CLING LABELS – the perfect solution for making your own bespoke window stickers!

While we already have four ranges of transparent labels, there was one outstanding problem that we were determined to solve. Our existing transparent labels all use adhesive and when they are applied to glass this adhesive can create air bubbles, which prevents the labels from being truly transparent.

So we are proud to present Transparent Static Cling labels, which create an ultra clear finish when they are applied to glass surfaces. The difference between these labels and our existing ranges is that, instead of an adhesive, these labels attach to surfaces through static cling. Static cling is generated when the labels are pulled away from the anti-static release liner (or backing sheet), which means the labels can be removed, repositioned, and reused over and over again, and no adhesive residue is left behind.

These labels are supplied on A4 sheets, with 13 sizes kept in stock and a full range available to order. They are designed for use with laser printers and can be applied to a range of surfaces, including glass, gloss paint, non-coated metals, and non-coated plastics.

These labels mean that individuals, companies, and organisations can create their own window stickers for whatever purpose they have in mind – whether they want to display important information, promotional messages, educational material, or simply add a decorative touch to a window – at home or in a business space.

For example:
Car Dealerships – can create window stickers for the vehicles they have on display – indicating company information, offers and promotions, or prices and specifications relating to a particular vehicle.Charities – can produce window stickers that can be handed out to raise awareness of the charity’s aims, upcoming events, or key messages.Political Parties – can make window stickers that are tailored to a local candidate’s area, including their key campaign messages.Shops – can add window stickers to their premises to help draw the attention of potential customers.Schools – can use these stickers as teaching aids or to label displays of work that are regularly updated.Galleries & Museums – can add information to exhibitions that can be removed when the display is updated or replaced, without causing any damage to the exhibition space.Individuals – can make their own bespoke stickers to decorate their cars or homes – whether to add signs such as “Baby On Board” or “No Sales Reps”, or as a fun activity for children who can create their own stickers to decorate their bedrooms.

Of course, these are just a few ideas – we’re sure our creative customers will come up with all sorts of ways to use our new range.

You can see the full range of sizes available here and take a look at our guide to printing mirrored text and images here.

We’ve had a few enquiries recently from people asking us for the simplest way to set up labels using text from an Excel spreadsheet.

Most people who are printing labels from Excel are trying to create address or product labels, with each row in the spreadsheet needing to be transferred onto one label. The easiest way to accomplish this is to create the labels using Microsoft Word’s “Mail Merge” function. The template for the labels will be created in Word, but the data used to populate the labels will be drawn directly from the Excel spreadsheet.

This does tend to be slightly easier if you are using labels with an equivalent Avery code, as these are built in to the Mail Merge function, but you can also use your own bespoke template to complete the mail merge.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide.
– Open a blank Word document
– Start the Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard
(For Word 2007 and after, click on the “Mailings” tab at the top of the page, click on “Start Mail Merge”, then select “Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard” from the list. For earlier versions of Word, click on the “Tools” menu, select “Letters and Mailings” and then click on “Mail Merge”.)

The Wizard will then guide you through the necessary steps, which are as follows:1. Select Document Type
Select “Labels”!2. Select Starting Document
– If you have an Avery code select “Change document layout”, then click “Label options”. Set “Label vendors” to Avery A4/A5, then select the relevant code from the list of product numbers.
– If you don’t have an Avery code, then you need to “Start from existing document”. For this you can either use a template that you have created yourself OR you can download (and save) one of our templates which are available on our website.3. Select Recipients
This is where you link in your Excel spreadsheet. Select “Use an existing list”, then browse to find where your spreadsheet is saved.4. Arrange Your Labels
This is where you set out what information should be taken from your spreadsheet and how it should be laid out. For example, if you are creating address labels, you can select “Address Block”, and then match up the fields that need to be on the label with the column in your spreadsheet that has this information.5. Preview Your Labels
Double check that everything is as it should be!6. Print Your Labels
Get printing! If you are unsure about the process, or if you’re worried you might have made an error, try test printing the first page or two, just to double check that everything will print as you want it to.

We’ve had a couple of enquiries recently from people who were looking for a product that they could use with dry whiteboard marker pens – that could be written on and then wiped clean and re-used – and we decided to put our labels to the test.

We picked up some dry white board marker pens and got scribbling on all of our polyester materials. We weren’t sure if ANY of them would work, but the GLOSS CLEAR POLYESTER LABELS (GCP) took us by surprise by acting just like a white board. The erasable ink sits on the gloss surface of these polyester labels and can be removed with the tip of a finger or the corner of a tissue – no water required!

To make your very own white board, all you need to do is apply one of these labels to a surface and get writing!

They make a perfect toy (or should that be distraction?) for children, who can draw or play games such as noughts and crosses or hangman over and over again. They can be used as an educational tool in schools, as indicators of stock levels that can be adjusted or rewritten accordingly, or as part of filing systems that need to be updated regularly. They’re also, as we’ve discovered, quite the fun distraction in the office – although you could, of course, use them in a more serious capacity – perhaps as an office noteboard or planner to keep track of ongoing projects and deadlines, dates for the diary, or notices. They’re also a great way to make temporary name labels, signs, notices, or general purpose labels that can be written out then erased or amended as needed.

Just a reminder that we are planning to promote all of the creative ways our customers use labels from Label Planet.

We intend to create a “gallery” on our website featuring label designs from our customers.

If you want your labels to feature on our website, all you need to do is take a photograph of your labels in use and email it to us at info@labelplanet.co.uk.

It really doesn’t matter whether you have intricately designed labels across multiple product ranges or a simple smiley face sticker, we’re interested in ALL of the ways our customers use our labels. So get emailing your photos now!

Label Planet is a UK label supplier specialising in labels on A4 sheets. If you are an existing customer then many thanks for coming back; please let us know if we can assist in any way, particularly if you are looking for something different. If you are a new visitor then we hope you find what you need. We are always happy to help and we can supply free samples for you to try. Our website includes free templates for you to download. We supply labels directly to individuals, companies, and organisations of all kinds in quantities of 25 sheets to 40,000 sheets.

Where applicable, our products are the same size format as the Avery product references (e.g. L7163 or J8163) shown above. These product references are used because they are size formats that are found in most software packages. We list the product references along with our own Label Planet Ltd code for your easy cross referencing with the software. Avery and Avery product references are the trade marks of the Avery Dennison Group. Label Planet Ltd products are not made or endorsed by the Avery Dennison Group.